A GROUP of almost 200 MPs and council leaders is calling for Sunday trading laws for shops in England and Wales to be relaxed.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson is among those calling for Sunday trading laws to be relaxed

The politicians, including Mayor of London Boris Johnson and members of the cross-party British Infrastructure Group (BIG), say allowing large shops to open for longer hours on Sundays would increase employment by 9 per cent and give the economy a £1.4bn boost.

The group claims allowing shops to open for longer on the seventh day of the week would help Britain’s economy recover.

But another group of MPs, mainly Conservatives, and church leaders have criticised the proposal saying it will lead to people working longer hours at the weekend, which would have a detrimental effect on family life.

David Cameron was forced to abandon plans to relax Sunday trading hours last year after huge objections. Instead he suggested devolving power to local authorities to decide whether Sunday trading hours should be relaxed in their communities and the campaigners support that idea.

At the moment in England and Wales, shops over 280 sq m, 3,000 sq ft, in size can open for any six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm. Retailers can be fined up to £50,000 if they break these rules.

Smaller shops are allowed to open for longer although studies have found that forcing big shops to close early has a knock-on effect on independent retailers and also on cafes and restaurants as people leave high streets earlier.

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Large shops can only open for six hours on a Sunday

In Northern Ireland shops can open for up to five hours between 1pm and 6pm and there are no trading restrictions in Scotland.

Being able to shop when it's convenient is a freedom.

Group of almost 200 politicians

Research has found that Sunday is the second busiest shopping day of the week with 44 per cent of shoppers visiting a store on that day.

However, the shorter trading hours mean some shops are struggling to compete with 24/7 online retail.

Former ministers Dan Poulter and Grant Shapps are also in the group pushing for the rules to be relaxed and they warn that restrictive Sunday trading laws are holding Britain back and making life difficult for shop owners.

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Business secretary Sajid Javid says workers will be protected

Their views are backed up by a report entitled Sunday Trading: Saving the Great British high street, which states: “Shops closing at 4pm doesn’t send the message to visitors that Britain is open for business”.

But the politicians also support stronger protections for workers, who can opt out of Sunday hours with just one month's notice compared to the current three.

In an open letter the group wrote: “It is two decades on from the 1994 reforms and the world has fundamentally changed.

“Families rely on the internet for everything from helping their children research school projects to keeping in touch with friends and doing their grocery shopping online.

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John Hannett from Usdaw is against he laws being relaxed

“Nowadays people rightly expect greater flexibility in all aspects of their lives. Being able to shop when it's convenient is one such freedom.

“Yet whilst times and attitudes have changes, Sunday trading laws have stayed the same.”

However not everyone agrees.

John Hannett, general secretary of retail union Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers), wants trading laws to stay as they are saying the current arrangements give everyone a little bit of what they want.

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He said: “Retailers can trade, customers can shop, staff can work; whilst Sunday remains a special day, different to other days, and shop workers can spend some time with their family.”

The Bishop of St Albans, Rt Rev Dr Alan Smith, is also against a relaxation of the rules.

He said: “In a world of increasing commodification, the space for shared time and activities, central to human flourishing is becoming ever more rare. Increased Sunday opening hours will only exacerbate this trend."

But Sajid Javid, the business secretary who is pushing the proposals through, responded: "Extending Sunday trading hours has the potential to help businesses and high streets across the UK better compete as our shopping habits change.

"The rights of shop workers are key to making these changes work in everyone’s interests. We are protecting those who do not wish to work Sundays, and those who do not want to work more than their normal Sunday working hours.”